Simvastatin could be new treatment option for patients with non-segmental vitiligo and dyslipidemia: Study

The clinical trial was initiated with 120 patients with nonsegmental vitiligo; 79 patients had dyslipidemia. They received daily simvastatin 80 mg (till lipid profile normalization for four months), and only 63 patients continued till the study ended. The vitiligo area severity index, lipid profile, and VIDA were assessed before and six months after the end of simvastatin use.

The study demonstrated the following findings:

• Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein, and LDL/HDL ratio showed statistically significant increases in the NSV than in the control group.
• The authors observed a statistically significant positive correlation between VIDA and serum levels of TC and LDL and with LDL/HDL ratio. Simvastatin significantly improved the lipid profile and significantly decreased VIDA.
• They also found a moderate negative correlation between the decrease in VIDA and the disease duration (r = −0.562).

"Simvastatin 80 mg daily could be a useful treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo patients with dyslipidemia, controlling the vitiligo activity and protecting against the dangerous effects of dyslipidemia," the researchers wrote in their study. "Better results can be obtained in patients with short duration of the disease."

Reference:

The study, "Simvastatin and nonsegmental vitiligo: A new potential treatment option?," was published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/dth.15969